From the Other Side
by Element Guardian
Summary: A new problem has arrived. For most people, it's a Native prophicy coming true. For Herman, it's smart mouth Anna O'Connell For the O'Connell twins, it's a little secret they've had to keep.
1. A Rough beginning

Hey, E.G. is back. I'm supposed to be working on a sequel to my first zoids story, the Night Warriors, but as always, I got distracted. In other words, it's a work in progress, but I'll be posting thus story and another call Unknown Past, Unknown Future. That story will mainly focus around Thomas. The one your about to read is about O'Connell. So you know the drill: read, review enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own zoids, but I have an original story and characters that you may not use.

From the Other Side

Chapter 1

A Rough Beginning

A scruffy looking man was pushed into a chair. The rest of his group was secured in prison for the evening. Colonel Herman stood over the man ready to question him. Normally a high ranking officer would not take notice of a group of gangsters, but these gangsters were well organized and some how managed to enter base grounds. They had not gone for the zoids, like most gangs; instead, the gang had gone to try and capture Captain O'Connell. The gangsters had not been successful and had only injured O'Connell. At the moment he was recovering in the hospital wing.

"I'll ask you once," Herman said. "Who are you working for and why are you interested in O'Connell?"

To Herman's shock, the man answered in a completely different language. O'Connell stumbled into the room as the man was finishing with a nurse scolding the captain for getting out of bed. His right arm was in a sling and he was favoring his left leg.

"He says he will not speak to you in Republic, he will only speak in Native," O'Connell said.

Herman knew O'Connell should be in bed, but he needed answers. "Can you question him?"

"I'm a little rusty, but I'll try," O'Connell said in English before he switched to Native so he could talk to the captured man. "Why did you come here to Red River Base?"

The man looked surprised that the Captain spoke his language so well. "You're Native? Oh well. It wasn't my choice to come here at all; I don't see why we need the reincarnation of his Lordship, Lord Marx. We can summon the Great One with out the help of the sealers."

"His Lordship, Lord Marx?" O'Connell asked. "I always thought Marx was a king?"

The man laughed. "Maybe you are not Native, because every Native child I knew knows of Lord Marx."

O'Connell sighed and translated the important information for Herman. The injured captain had a feeling that the questioning would take a very long time.

Madame President and her loyal advisors looked at the young woman in front of them. Her blond hair had teal green streaks scattered through out the long layered locks. She wore a pair of blue jeans and a long sleeve, teal green shirt. A pair of black boots, a white vest, and a white scarf tied around her waist finished the outfit. Mitch matched eye colors, one eye was clear blue and one was a smoky purple, stared back at Madame President.

"Miss O'Connell, I'm sorry to say we do not agree with you," a man to Madame President's left said.

Another advisor nodded. "We do not see why Native history needs to be studied in schools."

"First off, you're not sorry. So please don't pretend like you are," Anna O'Connell said, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "The reason all children, Native and non Native, need to know Native history is because our culture influences Republican culture greatly. Also, by studying Native history, you'll be getting into Ancient Zoidians."

"That's enough, Miss O'Connell! We do not want Children learning Native history, and that's final! Good day Miss O'Connell," an advisor nearly shouted. Anna stared at every loyal advisor before she glared long and hard at Madame President. Madame President admired the girl and had respected the idea, but others wanted to stomp out the Native culture completely.

Madame President shook her head. "I'm sorry Miss O'Connell. You are one voice trying to be heard over a million others."

"And one singing voice sounds better and will draw more supporters than a million voices yelling," Anna countered before she walked a way from the meeting, and out the door. Near the door was a black book bag that Anna picked up on her way out.

As she left the Capital Building, Anna bumped into an older military man. Anna's books on Native history and mythology feel out of the bag as the papers the man was carrying scattered everywhere.

"I'm so sorry," Anna said as she began to pick up the papers.

The man looked over one of her books. "You're familiar with Native legend?"

"I'm Native myself. My name is Anna O'Connell."

"Colonel Kruger," the man said shaking Anna's hand. "We might need your help, Miss O'Connell."


	2. A New Problem

Read the little preview from the first chapter.

From the Other Side

Chapter 2

A New Problem 

Anna O'Connell sat quietly in between Madame President and Colonel Kruger. Madame President was doing all she could to avoid the young woman's eyes. Colonel Kruger paid no attention to how uncomfortable the two women seemed around each other, if he even noticed the unease at all. Emperor Rudolph and Prime Minister Holmalef sat across from the three Republicans. Rudolph had tried to ask Anna some questions on Native history, but she would always shrug and turned away. The Prime Minister kept glancing at the clock wondering when the others were arriving.

A couple minutes later Colonel Schubaltz entered with the Guardian Force right behind him. The new additions to the group sent a curious look Anna's way but said nothing. Colonel Herman arrived shortly after that, followed by Captain O'Connell who was still favoring his left leg and right arm still in sling.

"Are you okay, Captain," Madame President asked. She had heard he was injured, but she didn't think it was so bad.

O'Connell saluted with his good arm. "I'm fine, Madame President. Thank you for your concern."

"He's seen worse injuries," Anna said. Everyone was finally taking a good look at the young woman.

Karl raised an eyebrow. "And you are?"

"My name is Ann O'Connell, Captain O'Connell's twin sister. I'm here to help you with the Native part of the new situation," she explained.

Herman eyed the strange girl; no one had one eye one color and the other eye another color. "We don't know much about what they want to resurrect except that there is a Lord Marx involved."

"Is that everything you know? Is there any small detail that you've left out?" Anna demanded. It was now that everyone could tell that Anna had a slight accent to her, like she spoke another language.

"Something was sealed," O'Connell told his sister. "In Native legends, the smallest details can make the biggest deal. Anna understands this greatly."

"Interesting," Rudolph said.

"Anna, I mean Miss O'Connell, will you say your people's true name?" Fiona asked.

Anna closed her eyes, when she reopened them, everyone could almost feel a royal aurora around her. "The people of the forest," Anna said in Native. She shook her head and the aurora was gone, and Anna repeated herself, this time in English.

"I thought so, I'd like to hear how your people survived all these years," Fiona said with a smile.

Anna and O'Connell nodded in unison, as if to say another time. The group stared at the three for a time. Thomas was the first to speak. "This is nice, nice and confusing, but what about the little problem of an evil zoid of some kind being resurrected?"

"Who says it's a zoid," Anna said casually. "Lord Marx and the other sealers could have sealed a zoid, a monster, even a fellow Zoidian. With the information you have given me, I can think of a hundred legends just off the top of my head."

"The bandits who attacked your brother were looking for the reincarnation of Lord Marx," Herman supplied.

Anna let out a sigh. "Now we're looking at a prophecy, not a legend."

"And how many prophecies is there a prophecy fits those guide lines?" Madame President asked.

"There is probably a thousand, at least. I don't have enough details to simply say it's one and not another," Anna finally said after a long silence.

"You'll have to come to the base with us and determine the legend as we go," Herman said as he and the other started leave.

Anna looked annoyed. "Who said I was going with you?"

"I did, just now."

"I'm sorry, I can't play with you all at the moment, but I have to get home where I'm actually needed," Anna said as she pushed through the room. Herman grabbed her wrist to stop her from brushing him off. Anna used her captured hand to twist Herman's. Her other hand slapped him across the face as she freed herself. Anna muttered something in Native and left quickly.

Herman turned to face his second in command. On his face was a bright red mark where Anna had slapped him. O'Connell shook his head; he would not translate Anna's insult. Before Herman could leave to catch up to Anna, Karl stopped him.

"Let me talk to her," Schublatz suggested. Kruger nodded, knowing that Anna might be more open to listen to someone who had not made her feel insulted by orders.

It didn't take long to find Anna; she was lost in the unfamiliar building. Karl gulped and prepared himself for a loud, and possibly painful for him, argument. "Miss O'Connell, I think you are making a mistake by not helping us. Except for your brother, none of us have much knowledge on Native legends or prophecies. Most of Planet Zi may be wiped out."

"May judgment day spare you," Anna said without care. "My people have survived this far, we can last a little longer."

"What about the rest of your country, the non-Natives?" Karl said, trying to strike a nerve.

Anna snorted in disgust. "Did you know the Republic came from the Natives and was at one time called the Native Republic? Did you know that we welcomed those humans who were feeling the Empire with open arms and made them our brothers, and now the Natives are barley known?"

"What about your brother?" Karl asked. "According to the bandits who had attacked him, he is the reincarnation of Lord Marx. He's going to have to fight. Are you going to let him do it alone?"

All the time the two had been talking, Schubaltz had led Anna into the hangar and to O'Connell's zoid. Karl had done it, Anna couldn't respond with an open no and more or less predicting her brother's death. Anna sat down on the foot of O'Connell's shield liger's foot and hugged her knees to her chest.

"Your brother is that other Imperial officer that was there, right?" Anna didn't wait for an answer. "You two remind me of knight brothers, Sir Kenneth and Sir Timothy. They were from a group of Ancient Zoidians who were much like your precious Empire. They would corporated a lot with King Marx and even when he was still a lord. I guess you could call the three friends."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"I don't know, but what is your name. If you don't tell me, I'll keep calling you Sir Ken," Anna said.

"Colonel Karl Lichen Schubaltz," he said shaking Anna's hand. "Will you help us Anna? Not for the world, but for your brother?"

"Of course I'll help you, how could I turn down someone so cute?" Anna said teasingly. Karl, not used to a girl being so bold with him, blushed a cherry red. Anna laughed all the way back to the meeting room as Karl shuffled behind her.


	3. Culture

**From the Other Side**

Chapter 3

Culture

O'Connell was sleeping soundly on his bed. He was lying so that he did not lay on his bad arm or bad leg. Normally sleeping with injuries would keep him up all night, but Anna had away of sucking all the energy out of you just by trying to keep up.

Anna had decided to make the trip as difficult as possible for Herman and the older Schubaltz brother. Karl was forced to deal with Anna's endless flirtation. Sometime she would flirt with him in Native just to see his confused looks. This all made Schubaltz very uncomfortable with the female O'Connell twin. O'Connell knew his sister would not pursue a romantic relation with Schubaltz, but no matter how many times the Republican captain told the Imperial Colonel, Schubaltz still would worry about what would happen if Anna wished to become his girlfriend. Anna had told her brother privately that she considered Karl to be pathetic before asking if he had met anyone he was interested in getting married to since he had left home. O'Connell smartly decided not to tell Anna that Colonel Schubaltz was a man he respected.

Herman was NOTHING but dirt in the mitch-matched colored eyes of Anna. She insulted him all the time, in both languages, and expected her brother to take her side in the arguments that the two had, daily. Herman expected O'Connell to take his side as his higher ranking officer. O'Connell sat there feeling very stupid until someone like Kruger came to break up the fight.

For the most part the O'Connell twins stuck together, something they've done since a very small age. However there were times when they two did not see eye to eye. Last night was one of those times. Anna and Herman were in yet another fight. Anna was about to punch him in the jaw, Herman wasn't very worried about getting much more than a bruise, when O'Connell stopped the fight by stopping Anna's fist and drag her out of the room.

"That was not smart," O'Connell told her sister.

"He is asking for it. I wouldn't hurt him!"

O'Connell took her shoulders and shook her gently. "You would have broken his jaw. You have to understand that we are different and we can't let the army know that."

Everyone was very glad to get back to Red River base. The base was nowhere nearly as crowded as the whale king.

"Brian wake up," Anna whispered into his ear. She tried to shake her brother awake. "Brian if you don't get up now, I'll call Katherine and you can deal with her taking care of your exercises."

"Let me sleep Anna," Brian groaned, rolling over than regretting when he rolls over her bad arm.

Anna pulled her brothers blankets off of him. "NOPE! We need to make sure your muscles are repairing correctly. Come on, let's dance."

Anna dragged her brother out off the bed and into the bathroom, where she pushed him into the shower and turned it on as cold as she could possibly. That woke her brother up right away. When her brother had taken a cold rinse and dressed, she dragged him to the gym. She handed him a sword and took one for herself. O'Connell took his sword in his bad arm and went to attack his sister. Anna knew what was coming and knew what to do. The two then continue to "dance" more sword techniques, all meant to help O'Connell stretch out his muscles.

"That was pretty good," Brian said as he rotated his bad arm.

"Pretty good?" Anna asked with a look on her face that her brother had learned to fear. "You've forgotten like ten steps."

"That was just a warm up!"

"Okay, we'll see about that."

The blows and blocks became faster and one could see the "dance" as the O'Connell twins moved. One part of this particular dance included walking away from one another and then turn to charge. Then the two dancers would run to each other and bring the speed up a few notches. Before they could reach one another, Herman stopped O'Connell and Schubaltz grabbed Anna around the waste.

"Killing your sister, O'Connell, is going to cause nothing but trouble for all of us," Herman told his subordinate. "That goes double for you, Anna."

Anna pulled out of Schubaltz's hold. "It's a sword dance. The dances we were doing are meant to help strengthen muscles, especially after injury." Anna turned to Karl with a big smile. "Do you know one Sweetheart?"

"I'll be going back to Dragon Head base today now that we know Anna will be helping us." Karl looked like he wanted to bolt right then and there instead of having to wait for his unit to be ready to depart.

"You can't leave now. I have to teach you Native history and a priestess from the Saber Clan to see if you all are reincarnations." Now Herman looked like he also wanted to bolt, and run very far away from anything to do with the Natives. Anna smile sweetly, deadly sweet. "The more I know about who you people are the more I can tell about the prophecy. Beside, the priestess is going to see what she can do about the demon that lives inside of Herman."

The room was silent for a moment until Herman lunged at Anna. Both Schubaltz and O'Connell had to hold the other man back as Anna strolled out of the room as if she was taking a stroll in the park. The entire base could hear Herman's threats to the young woman.

Anna sat down in her room and picked up the phone, dialing her home phone number. No one answered. "That's right, tomorrow is the Last Feast, they are al at the church," Anna whispered as she dialed the number to the church.

"Hello?"

"Katherine, it's me, Anna," Anna said when her cousin picked up the phone.

"Anna!" Katherine yelled on the other line. Anna held the phone away from her ear. "Everyone it's Anna! So when are you coming home and is Brian coming with you?"

"Not for awhile I don't think."

"But Anna tomorrow is Last Feast day. Our Grandmother died this year and this is our final chance to say good-bye," Katherine protested.

"I know but this has just gotten a lot bigger, but both Brian and I will be here for our birthday and Day of Races. And Katherine, pick some of the roses in my garden and put them on Grandmother's table. Now put my dad on the phone," Anna said.

"Hello, Baby Girl," Anna's dad said when he was handed the phone.

"Hi dad, I just called to say sorry for not being able to make it hoe in time."

Anna heard her father chuckle and she could almost see his smoky purple eyes sparkle in humor. "No need to apologize, Baby Girl. Your Grandmother would have been proud of stepping up to help."

"Thanks Dad, I'll see you when I get home."

"Okay, Baby Girl."

Anna's door was slightly cracked open and Herman heard enough of her side of the phone conversation that he knew Anna was giving up a lot to help them. O'Connell was probably giving up just as much.


End file.
